I wanted to update you on the
state deal announced yesterday and the city budget deal finalized the day
before, especially as they affect our public schools.
1. The state deal between
the leaders of the Legislature and the Governor known as the “big ugly” could
have been uglier. It did not include the huge giveaway to billionaires and
private schools in the form of a voucher-like education tax credit, but instead
would provide an additional $250 million in state funds sent directly to
private and parochial schools to pay for various services. The property tax cap
that is hurting education funding outside NYC will remain mostly
unchanged.
In NYC, mayoral control will be
extended – but only for one year, which could allow parents and advocates more
time to organize to reform
the system. As for testing, more questions will be released after the state
exams are given, and teachers will be allowed to talk about the exams
afterward, though whether this will have any effect on these highly flawed
tests or Common Core standards is yet to be seen.
The deal also included a slight
lifting of the charter cap – as 22
new slots out of a total of 50 for NYC, ineligible under the old cap will
now be allowed, and three more to be re-allocated to the city from the rest of
the state. As Speaker Heastie pointed out, the Republicans in the Senate are
eager to direct charter schools to NYC, though never
to their own districts.
NYC already has the vast
majority of charters, and because of last year’s budget deal has the legal
obligation to provide all new and expanding charters with free space at the
city expense, while already suffering from the worst school overcrowding and
the highest real estate costs in the state. It could have been much worse of
course. The Governor and the Senate leaders originally wanted to raise the cap
by 100 and remove all geographical restrictions, which could have meant 250
additional charters flooding NYC instead of 25 more.
Ironically, during his press
conference, Cuomo cited the overcrowding in NYC public schools as one of the
reasons the state needed to support the parochial schools; to keep them open
especially as so many NYC public schools still have trailers.
2. Speaking of overcrowding,
despite the overwhelming need, nothing was accomplished in the city budget to
expand its inadequate capital plan to build more schools – a plan that provides
less than half the seats necessary. Little
new was added to the education budget through the Council’s
negotiations; except for fifty more phys ed teachers, eighty more crossing guards, and
free breakfast given to elementary school students in their classrooms. (Never
mind that because of school overcrowding, many students are assigned to lunch
as early as 10 AM or as late as 2 PM). Oh yes, we will also get 1300 more
police. According to the Commissioner Bratton, he intends to put many of them outside
schools. (!)
I wish I had better news to
report, but we’re not giving up when there are at least half a million students
attending overcrowded schools with huge class sizes every day, and the
situation worsening– without the city providing any real plan to address this
crisis.
Talk to you soon, Leonie
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